Happy Birthday Shebeen!!

Could it possibly be a whole year since Shebeen began brewing beer for public consumption?  Wow!

The tap room manager, Marissa, asked me to come to the anniversary party. Of course I would be there! A keg party!! Woot!

I arrived early with my posse and there were a few folks hanging around. Marissa immediately poured me a brew. My friends and I went into the new but unfinished tap room expansion to enjoy our beer.

Not too long after we got there the tap room was packed with people clambering for beer. Outside they were playing a beanbag toss game quaintly called cornhole; appropriately, the game is also known as lawn darts for drunks. Folks were also enjoying brews at the picnic tables and on the porch.

By the time we were ready to leave, we had to elbow our way to the door. I'd say the anniversary party was a raging success! The beer was pretty good, too!

Here's  to another great year of brewing beer at Shebeen!

Cucumber Wasabi (4.5% ABV) is a hazy honey brown. It smells and tastes just like both cucumber and wasabi. Impressive but weird.  I liked it but I'm definitely not in love with it. It's interesting to drink, for sure, but I don't think I could drink more than a glassful. This a brew worth trying, if for no other reason, than that it's it is unlike any other beer. Tasty but odd.



Pineapple Wheat (5.1% ABV) is a fruit / wheat beer. This is a darned good beer. It pours a clear honey gold with a nice lingering bubbly head. The aroma is boldly wheaty and big on pineapple.  The taste is a burst of fresh pineapple backed up by wheat and sweet malt. This is a pleasantly sweet, refreshing beer with not a hint of bitterness.  I once even made Beer Zucchini Bread with it. NOM!



Cannoli Beer (5.2% ABV) is an American Pale Ale. Served with a rim of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cocoa atop the foam, this is a Shebeen favorite. The aroma is, well, like a cannoli. The taste is wonderful! The airy sweetness of the sugar and subtle cocoa enhances and sends the spicy ale over the top. This is the first time I had it on Nitro. I have to say I like it better without it. The nitro does something not so great to the otherwise awesome brew, in my ever so humble opinion.



Grand Cru (6% ABV) is a witbier. It pours a deep amber color. Smooth, fruity, juicy.  I think this was my favorite of the day. Smooth, fruity, juicy. Mild grains, malt, and sweet citrus combine to make an easy drinking brew. Nary a hint of bitterness. Perfect for a hot summer day. Wonderful.

Jesus in my beer!

Something very interesting happened to me when I visited Shebeen Brewery recently. I was enjoying my cannoli beer when, unbeknownst to me, a face appeared in my glass.

I first noticed the face when I was putting together the photos for this blog post. I swear on the goddess Ninkasi, may she strike me beerless, that the face in this image is in no way altered or photo-shopped. This is as it appeared.

To me it, it is the likeness of Jesus Christ. But others have suggested it looks like Jeff Bridges as "The Dude" Lebowski or Jimi Hendrix or Zorro or even Billy Mays of Oxyclean fame. You be the judge.

Stranger yet, as I'm writing this Jesus Christ Superstar came up in my play list. I kid you not! So, I'm going with Jesus.

You be the judge.

The question is this . . . why would Jesus appear in my beer? Proof that God loves beer and through beer wants us to be happy? I'm good with that!

Cannoli Beer

Shebeen is without a doubt one of the best new Connecticut breweries.  Brewmaster, Rich Visco, has created a line-up of beers that is truly inspired.

My favorite is the Cannoli Beer (5.2% ABV) is a spiced American Pale Ale brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg and bourbon soaked vanilla beans.

It pours a hazy amber with a big floof of white foam.

In the tasting room of the brewery it is offered with the glass rimmed in powdered sugar and Ghiradeli chocolate sprinkled into the foam.

The spices come through clearly in the aroma and very cannoli-ish. Yummy. Enticing.




















The brew stands up well enough on its own.

But with all the fixins it's amazing. The airy sweetness of the sugar and subtle cocoa enhances and sends the spicy ale over the top. I could drink this ALL day long. Or for a liquid dessert at the very least. The taste clings to the palette. Cinnamon and nutmeg come forward making for a gently sweet, quaffable brew.

The best sip is the last. All there is a concentration of chocolate and sweet sugar mixing with the last of the foam. Delicious!

Overall: excellent.

Cooking with Beer - Beer Zucchini Bread

I had the fixins to make zucchini bread and had the thought in the back of my mind to make a loaf. 

After a visit to Shebeen Brewery, I was inspired. During a tasting, I sampled their pineapple wheat I knew I had the final ingredient for my recipe.

All I did was substitute the eggs in my regular zucchini bread recipe with a cup of beer and what I ended up with was a lighter, fluffier very tasty treat. DElish! 

I used Shebeen's Pineapple Wheat but you can use any beer you like. I'm thinking the spiciness of Shebeen's Cannoli Beer would be perfect in a recipe like this, but my husband's head would explode if I used that particular beer to cook with.  He practically had a spasm when he found out  I used the Pineapple.  It didn't stop him from eating it though.

(＾◡＾)

Pineapple Wheat Zucchini Bread

3 Cups Flour

2 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Pineapple Wheat Beer

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Canola Oil

2 Cups Zucchini, Shredded

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a mixing bowl, stir to mix the dry ingredients together. 

Mix in the remaining ingredients, stir until thoroughly combined but don't over mix.  

 

Pour into a buttered 9x13 baking dish.

Bake for 50 minutes or until top springs back when tested.

Enjoy!

A visit to Shebeen

I was first introduced to Shebeen beer at a brewfest in June.  At the festival, I got the opportunity to sample three of Shebeen's brews and chat with Rich Visco - Headbrewer/Artiste/Mastermind/Man-behind-the-madness.

I took me a couple months, but I finally made the trek to visit the brewery.  The brewery is small but impressive, the tasting room is charming and comfortable, and the staff is friendly and eager to pour. Oh, yeah, bring it on! And, bring it the lovely Terry did! That girl knows how to pull a draft beer like nobody's business!

After sampling a few wonderful brews, another Shebeen staffer, Mike, gave us a nickle tour of the brewery. I fully appreciate them allowing me to venture beyond the tasting room door considering the major upheaval and hubbub going on back there. Especially, considering my prodigious aptitude for clumsiness, which is almost as great as my love of good beer. And that, my friends, is saying something!

Shebeen is in the process of installing upgrades to their brewing system. Major upgrades. They're going from three little one barrel tanks to four huge thirty barrel tanks and two shiny new fermenters! They were physically in the process of positioning these tanks while I was back there checking things out. The energy and excitement in the brewery was palpable. Hopefully, now they will be able to keep up with the ever increasing demand for their yummy brews.

In one corner of the brewery was a big crate. Concealed within is the breweries new canning machine. That's right, Shebeen in a can. How cool is that?? Coming soon to a store near you? That remains to be revealed.

Rich was running around like a chicken with its head lopped off - sans the blood. Despite that, he took a few minutes to stop and talk to me. We talked about the upgrades, of course, but he showed off one of the casks he will be using for whiskey barrel aging - he'll be doing a double rye porter soon! But don't get too excited, barrel aging takes time.  

We chatted about other things, as well. I was sworn to secrecy but there are even more amazing things going to happen at Shebeen in the coming months. There are even a couple new beers in the works. It's all good and it's all awesome!

German Cerveza (4.7% ABV) is a kölsch brewed with agave nectar. It was interesting, to say the least. It poured a clear liquid gold with a nice but quickly diminishing head.  The aroma is somewhat grainy and sweet, very inviting.  The taste is bright with a strong presence of malt and grain.  Nary a hint of bitterness; however, the agave makes its presence known in the finish with a lovely sweetness that clings to the back of the palate. Really, quite nice. Overall: very good.

Irish Pale (4% ABV) is pale ale. It pours a rich amber with a big head that dissolves into the beer leaving behind a wisp of foam. The aroma is malt forward with a hint of grain and hops.  The taste resembles the smell;  caramel malts, mellow hops and grain. Pleasantly bitter without biting balanced by the sweetness of the malt. Light and sessionable.  A great beer to drink any time for any occasion. Overall: very good.

Pineapple Wheat (5.1% ABV) is a fruit / wheat beer. This beer was my favorite of the day. It pours a clear honey gold with a nice lingering bubbly head. The aroma is boldly wheaty and big on pineapple. Enticing. The taste is a burst of fresh pineapple backed up by wheat and sweet malt. This is a pleasantly sweet, refreshing beer with not a hint of bitterness.  Overall: excellent

Cannoli Beer (5.2% ABV) is an American Pale Ale. Served with a rim of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cocoa atop the foam, this is a Shebeen favorite. The aroma is, well, like a cannoli. The taste is wonderful! The airy sweetness of the sugar and subtle cocoa enhances and sends the spicy ale over the top. I could drink this ALL day long. Or for a liquid dessert at the very least. The taste clings to the palette. Mmm, so good. I also drank this without all the fixins and the beer stands very well on it's own. Cinnamon and nutmeg come forward making for a gently sweet, quaffable brew. Delicious! Overall: excellent.

A big thank you to Rich and his staff for making my visit so delicious and eventful.  I left the brewery very happy with a growler each of Pineapple Wheat and Cannoli. I'll be back soon!